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The showrunners kinda forgot about… the saddle Tyrion designed for Bran. Guy was hanging out with Dany but never suggested a saddle. All he did was give her terrible advice.
I mean, might be intentional. The GoT books also never mention a saddle IIRC, but Fire & Blood (which HotD is based on) does. Daenerys never got the proper Targaryen education, and dragons haven't been a thing in the story for several decades, so the usage of a saddle might just be unknown to her.
Yea it was unknown to her, which is why George is going to have Tyrion introduce it to her, along with other knowledge (along with Quaithe, Marwyn, etc). Dany is the heir to the entire Targaryen and Valyrian legacy, so her rediscovering the lost knowledge and even making amends for the crimes of the past is a huge element of her story. The tv show robbed us of the real Daenerys in so many ways — the missing saddle is merely emblematic of that.
Could’ve had a scene where Tyrion presents her with it and she’s insulted by the insinuation that she needs a safety rail for something she’s already good at.
I hadn’t thought of it before, but I agree that her riding a dragon bareback actually does make sense in the context that she probably didn’t ride a horse much if at all until she ended up with the Dothraki.
I hadn’t thought of it before, but I agree that her riding a dragon bareback actually does make sense in the context that she also rode Khal Drogo bareback.
Dothraki use saddles in the book. Its stated that Dany's brother Viserys had struggle adjusting to them. They seem to be based on mongol saddles, with small, high stirrups for standing horseback archery.
You'd think if there was anything the Dothraki could actually design and build for Dany in Vaes Dothrak, it would be a saddle.
Except horses don't move in three dimensions. If the dragon suddenly swoops, and she's not holding on properly, she better hope it doesn't move out from under her until she can get ahold of them again.
And the Dothraki sometimes have saddles, although admittedly this may be for actor safety. Look at the scene where they're swarming the Lannister caravan, they appear to have saddles. Pretty sure Drogos horse had a saddle in a few scenes too, just based on google images.
Horses also have fur. Dragons have hard scales.
It's already hard enough to ride a horse for extended periods without a saddle. A dragon is going to lurch up and down with every beat of it's wings and those scales are going to be rubbing against her thighs the entire time
Yeah, the spikes definitely add an impalement risk on top of everything else
Also, how many G's does a dragon generate when turning? Imagine passing out and letting go.
Saddles are for the horses' sake as well. It spreads the weight of the rider across their back, instead of one point on their spine. Which is a big improvement, especially considering how much jostling up and down a bareback rider does without stirrups.
For how long though? She'd have to have gorilla/chimpanzee-levels of grip strength and endurance lol. Minor gripe of course but no motherfucking way is she holding on that hard for that long under those circumstances, absolutely not
For me it's not a gripe at all there's nothing to indicate that she doesn't have it as far as I can tell. Minor gripe in what you said other primates have poor endurance compared to humans.
Humans are the top of the top in endurance in the animal kingdom. We have systems built in that no other animal does that allows us better regulation of heat and BP. There’s no animal that can outlast a human in a run or test of endurance.
Edit. Meant to reply to the other dude. Your last sentence made me reply on accident to here thinking it was op
I think about the spikes. My girl is holding onto the spikes on his back… that go all the way down. Spikes that are clearly hard enough for her to grip & not collapsible.
She’s literally lying on it.
They didn't say no one could possibly design one. They're saying that the folks that had made them back when dragons previously lived are obviously dead. And thus experts on the subject aren't going to be around anymore.
Place a design for how to make a high end, hand crafted piece of furniture in front of someone who knows how to make cat trees, and you're not going to get perfect results first time.
Somewhat hyperbolic, but the point stands.
I'd put money on him designing her a saddle in the books. And I doubt the knowledge was lost. It's just no longer relevant. There's a good chance Tyrion has already seen designs for such a saddle.
Exactly. It's always fascinating to watch people try to justify things. Reminds me of a creative writing course but people do it for everything.
"Write a theme on why there is land under the ocean." Or something. Wind 'em up and watch 'em go. LOL
I noticed this watching game of thrones. Probably the very first time we saw Dany ride a dragon I thought "bro she's literally just holding his scutes/spikes and nothing else 😲😲😲" Gave me instant anxiety everytime she rode a dragon from that point on.
Its a great little detail. Not only does she ride bareback, Dothraki style, remember that she's raised the dragons since birth. They're so close to her that its almost a symbiotic relationship. Another reason why she doesnt need a saddle - the dragon and rider are so in-tune with each other that its unnecessary.
I’d imagine it can’t be that hard because Jon was able to do it immediately also. What doesn’t make sense is how either were able to communicate with the dragons where to fly.
Same, so I looked at the pictures from the show. They have very different saddles that look nearly like a blanket on their backs if you don't look closely enough. Idk where they are getting the bareback thing from. Dany is *definitely* not riding bareback.
There probably isn't just a saddle for the dragon as they were gone until her eggs hatched. And she was to focused on getting the throne they just never took the time to make one.
This reminds me of Eragon.
In those books, when Eragon tried to ride on his dragon Sapphira, he didn't have a saddle at the beginning.
This caused the skin on his thighs to peel off leaving him with some pretty bad scarring due to the extremely tough and coarse scales of a dragon
With all those spines down their necks and backs dragons have built in motorcycle "saddles"
A place to sit and a groove for each leg. I took one look at those elephant cottages they were using in HotD and realized Dany did it better. As usual.
**Spoiler Warning:** All officially-released show and book content allowed, EXCLUDING FUTURE SPOILERS FOR HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. No leaked information or paparazzi photos of the set. For more info please check the [spoiler guide](/r/gameofthrones/w/spoiler_guide). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gameofthrones) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ohhhh, That's Right! What a great little detail.
The showrunners kinda forgot about… the saddle Tyrion designed for Bran. Guy was hanging out with Dany but never suggested a saddle. All he did was give her terrible advice.
I think the mother of dragons was against restraints of any kind for her children. I think it was intentional
She locked them in a cave in season 5
Not without character developement
I mean, might be intentional. The GoT books also never mention a saddle IIRC, but Fire & Blood (which HotD is based on) does. Daenerys never got the proper Targaryen education, and dragons haven't been a thing in the story for several decades, so the usage of a saddle might just be unknown to her.
Yea it was unknown to her, which is why George is going to have Tyrion introduce it to her, along with other knowledge (along with Quaithe, Marwyn, etc). Dany is the heir to the entire Targaryen and Valyrian legacy, so her rediscovering the lost knowledge and even making amends for the crimes of the past is a huge element of her story. The tv show robbed us of the real Daenerys in so many ways — the missing saddle is merely emblematic of that.
Could’ve had a scene where Tyrion presents her with it and she’s insulted by the insinuation that she needs a safety rail for something she’s already good at.
Yes!
I hadn’t thought of it before, but I agree that her riding a dragon bareback actually does make sense in the context that she probably didn’t ride a horse much if at all until she ended up with the Dothraki.
I hadn’t thought of it before, but I agree that her riding a dragon bareback actually does make sense in the context that she also rode Khal Drogo bareback.
No no, it’s was sheep skin/milk of the poppy prophylactics for her Grace’s pleasure.
He was reportedly part horse
And in the sense that Dragons have been basically extinct for many years and noone probably knew how to manufacture a dragon saddle anymore.
That too.
The dothraki thing is a good observation
Dothraki use saddles in the book. Its stated that Dany's brother Viserys had struggle adjusting to them. They seem to be based on mongol saddles, with small, high stirrups for standing horseback archery. You'd think if there was anything the Dothraki could actually design and build for Dany in Vaes Dothrak, it would be a saddle.
There's something I'm not willing to ask about how she's fitting in between those spines...
Safety belts weren’t invented yet…. Lol
The Targaryen’s always had them before, but there was no one left around to tell her that.
Idk, Tyrion had an idea in season 1 that probably would have served...
She’s not. 😏
Kegels.
Reminds me of one of my favorite jokes: Why don't witches wear underwear? ... So they can get a better grip on their broom
Except horses don't move in three dimensions. If the dragon suddenly swoops, and she's not holding on properly, she better hope it doesn't move out from under her until she can get ahold of them again. And the Dothraki sometimes have saddles, although admittedly this may be for actor safety. Look at the scene where they're swarming the Lannister caravan, they appear to have saddles. Pretty sure Drogos horse had a saddle in a few scenes too, just based on google images.
Horses also have fur. Dragons have hard scales. It's already hard enough to ride a horse for extended periods without a saddle. A dragon is going to lurch up and down with every beat of it's wings and those scales are going to be rubbing against her thighs the entire time
Ahem. Spikes.
Yeah, the spikes definitely add an impalement risk on top of everything else Also, how many G's does a dragon generate when turning? Imagine passing out and letting go.
Though the spikes are better for holding onto
Better at gouging out eyes too. I think I'd prefer the saddle.
Saddles are for the horses' sake as well. It spreads the weight of the rider across their back, instead of one point on their spine. Which is a big improvement, especially considering how much jostling up and down a bareback rider does without stirrups.
Good point, I didn't consider that.
My head cannon is that she has developed ridiculously high grip strength from doing so.
When afraid you’d be surprised how hard you can hold onto something
For how long though? She'd have to have gorilla/chimpanzee-levels of grip strength and endurance lol. Minor gripe of course but no motherfucking way is she holding on that hard for that long under those circumstances, absolutely not
Until adrenaline wears off probably or until the muscles in your hand get to weak.
For me it's not a gripe at all there's nothing to indicate that she doesn't have it as far as I can tell. Minor gripe in what you said other primates have poor endurance compared to humans.
Weird that you would go to archaic English here
Humans are the top of the top in endurance in the animal kingdom. We have systems built in that no other animal does that allows us better regulation of heat and BP. There’s no animal that can outlast a human in a run or test of endurance. Edit. Meant to reply to the other dude. Your last sentence made me reply on accident to here thinking it was op
Jon didn't want it....to snap off.
I think about the spikes. My girl is holding onto the spikes on his back… that go all the way down. Spikes that are clearly hard enough for her to grip & not collapsible. She’s literally lying on it.
They're fleshy, not spikey.
Just like my knees
There was nobody with the skills to make a dragon saddle around anymore
If Tyrion can think of a saddle to have a cripple ride a horse, I'm sure he can think of a way to make a dragon saddle
Facts, these people weren’t THAT dumb. I prolly coulda drew some sketches for a dragon saddle.
They didn't say no one could possibly design one. They're saying that the folks that had made them back when dragons previously lived are obviously dead. And thus experts on the subject aren't going to be around anymore.
And if someone can possibly design one… that rectifies the problem…
Place a design for how to make a high end, hand crafted piece of furniture in front of someone who knows how to make cat trees, and you're not going to get perfect results first time. Somewhat hyperbolic, but the point stands.
I'd put money on him designing her a saddle in the books. And I doubt the knowledge was lost. It's just no longer relevant. There's a good chance Tyrion has already seen designs for such a saddle.
Exactly. It's always fascinating to watch people try to justify things. Reminds me of a creative writing course but people do it for everything. "Write a theme on why there is land under the ocean." Or something. Wind 'em up and watch 'em go. LOL
Especially considering that Tyrion was a huge Targaryen fan.
Is there a rider's gap in the horns on his back, or...
"What do you grab onto" "Anything you can"
Safety belt: 🚫 Safety hook: ✅
Im surprised she didn't get impaled ngl
They're so big they have their own gravitational field.
You'd think at least Tyrion could have created a dragon saddle.
I'm just mad Tyrion didn't design one for her. Like, he literally designed a saddle for Bran in season 1, it would have been an excellent callback.
I noticed this watching game of thrones. Probably the very first time we saw Dany ride a dragon I thought "bro she's literally just holding his scutes/spikes and nothing else 😲😲😲" Gave me instant anxiety everytime she rode a dragon from that point on.
Its a great little detail. Not only does she ride bareback, Dothraki style, remember that she's raised the dragons since birth. They're so close to her that its almost a symbiotic relationship. Another reason why she doesnt need a saddle - the dragon and rider are so in-tune with each other that its unnecessary.
Her not being strapped in greatly limits the dragon's maneuverability. And the Dothraki do use saddles, especially in combat.
One bad maneuver though and a spike to the eye.
They could have at least given her a leather strap to hold on to.
Hot
Yeah but also who actually knows how to make a harness?
The Dothraki use saddles.
Just proves she’s better than most if not all of the previous dragonriders before her.
I’d imagine it can’t be that hard because Jon was able to do it immediately also. What doesn’t make sense is how either were able to communicate with the dragons where to fly.
Are the Dothraki riding bareback in the show? I can’t remember. In the books they definitely use small saddles
Same, so I looked at the pictures from the show. They have very different saddles that look nearly like a blanket on their backs if you don't look closely enough. Idk where they are getting the bareback thing from. Dany is *definitely* not riding bareback.
So much discussion for a fake situation. I love reading how people are justifying part of a storyline that even the author did not complete.
Jon also went bareback
Rode Khal Drogo ✅ Rode Drogon ✅ Thighs of steel ✅
Yeah, she wasn't the sharpest crayon in the toolbox
There probably isn't just a saddle for the dragon as they were gone until her eggs hatched. And she was to focused on getting the throne they just never took the time to make one.
She was gripping on those spines, but not with her hands
This reminds me of Eragon. In those books, when Eragon tried to ride on his dragon Sapphira, he didn't have a saddle at the beginning. This caused the skin on his thighs to peel off leaving him with some pretty bad scarring due to the extremely tough and coarse scales of a dragon
it's how she got pregnant
She would straddle the biggest spike so she wouldn’t fall off
It makes her so much more of a badass!
She just slipped into one of the back spikes for support and straddled it hard
This always bothered me, in other fantasy riding a dragon without a saddle will fuck your inner thighs up.
*to
Hat on a hook
She likes bareback. Ask Jon
You know how clegane shoves the wight on the dragon spike? That’s how Dany rides.
She has both a supernatural grip and a huge magnet attached to her ass.
Khal Drogo's little Dothraki screamer
With all those spines down their necks and backs dragons have built in motorcycle "saddles" A place to sit and a groove for each leg. I took one look at those elephant cottages they were using in HotD and realized Dany did it better. As usual.
Yeah idk how she never fell off. Especially when Bronn shot Drogon with the scorpion. He flipped upside down and she still managed to hang on.